


Forbidden Affection

by Sincerely_Alex



Category: APH - Fandom, Axis Powers Hetalia, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alfred is a photographer, Arguments, Fighting, Gay Characters, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Homophobic family, Like, M/M, Not countries, Other, Slight Smut, Smut in chapter 12, USUK - Freeform, UkUk, Yelling, arthur lives with his brothers, eh, haha - Freeform, in london, its soft, kinda fluffy smut tho, mentions of abuse, normal people, slight abuse, smecks and all that, so its
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-18 02:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11281695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincerely_Alex/pseuds/Sincerely_Alex
Summary: Arthur lives with his brothers in London, just them, since their parents passed when Arthur was 15. Now, he's 19, and is slowly falling in love with Alfred, a visitor from America here on work. However, things might not be as easy as he hoped them to be.





	1. First meeting- Sort of.

_Arthur closed his eyes as he watched the grey-blue sky above him, the clouds barely visible in their wispy, thin form. It was rather early, so the street was quiet. Not that there was any commotion anyway. This neighborhood wasn't the most exciting. It was mostly made up of old religious couples that barely every had their grandchildren around, and when they did, they were either out back in their yards playing with small toys and not being too loud, or inside with their families, watching television or playing board games with their elders._

_Arthur lived with his brothers, Allistor, Seamas, and Owen. While they were all from the UK, they were from different parts of it. It mostly had to do with family issues and divorce and death, so they barely ever even tried to explain why none of them were from the same area. Now, they lived together in London. Their parents died in a horrible car accident, leaving them alone. That was four years ago, though- when Arthur was 15. He was still young, being taken care of by his older brothers. Life was obviously a bit different after their parents death- the oldest of the family had to get well-paying jobs, and the other two had to help out around the house and make money by doing chores for the elders of the neighborhood, if they couldn't get real jobs, that is._

_While Arthur got wonderful grades in school, once he graduated, college wasn't an option. Not exactly, at least. His older brothers worked hard to make sure the two younger boys could stay in school, and it worked- Owen being in his last year of high school and showing no sign of needing to drop out. While his grades weren't as good as Arthur's, he was doing pretty well. However, the family barely had enough money to keep them afoot, let alone send them to college. While they tried, Arthur knew it was going to be a lost cause. He didn't need to go to any fancy college. While he was offered a scholarship, he denied it. He needed to keep his brothers in check, since there was a lot of fighting that often got physical. Arthur, while he wasn't the youngest, was the most delicate- as his brothers saw, at least. He fell into a great depression once their parents died, and he barely ate. Arthur wasn't the type to cause trouble, and used to cry when his brothers would fight. They tried their best to control themselves when Arthur was around, their pride not greater than their care. Arthur knew that if he were to leave, his brothers would be free to argue or fight whenever they wanted. Not only that, but he knew they needed the help. He had to help make money for his family to stay in tact- college would take too much time. (This always reminded Arthur of The Outsiders, but no one else in his family- besides Owen- had read the book in school. Owen always gave Arthur a laugh when he mentioned it, the other two just rolling their eyes.)_

_Arthur's brother didn't know about the scholarship. He knew it would break their hearts if he told them he rejected it._

_It wasn't like they were poor- they had enough money to pay the bills (most of the time) and keep food on the table, sometimes even to go out for lunch or dinner and keep themselves entertained. The neighbors always helped out, too- mostly old ladies were just so proud of the sweet young men they were, how strong they were. They would always give Arthur pies or cookies to give to his family, sometimes slipping them in a bit of money just in case. His oldest brother, Allistor, had quite the temper on him, though. He lost jobs almost periodically, and it would sometimes take him months to find a new one. He always, did, though, but the idea that he might not be able to find a new job and the family could suffer stressed Arthur out to no end. He knew how it would happen, too. The other two brothers getting annoyed at Allistor for not being able to find a job, Allistor losing control and yelling until the argument turned physical. Arthur'd come in, stop the fighting with his presence, but the tension would still be there. Eventually, he'd have to go to sleep, which is when the fighting would start back up as Arthur pretended not to be awake, crying in the room he shared with Owen._

_Arthur kept his eyes on the sky, admiring it's calm, dull colors. He always woke up before the rest of his family, even though he didn't work. (He tried hard to get his brothers to allow him to find a job, but they told him to stay home, do work at home so it didn't need to be done by the others after work. Arthur knew that wasn't the only reason. He knew his brothers thought he would screw something up. Based on how shy and quiet Arthur was all the time, they probably didn't expect a lot from him. They didn't want him to embarrass them.) It calmed him down to watch the morning sky slowly grow brighter as the sun climbed its way high into the blue yonder._

_The air was silent for a good 10-20 minutes, the only sounds being the soft stir of the wind and a car or two. It was lifeless, until it wasn't._

_Arthur's gaze left the sky when a door from across the street was opened. He knew they people there- some of the only other people in the neighborhood that were under the age of 60. It was a young couple, maybe in their mid twenties, who moved their a year or so ago from America. They were barely, home, which made it almost impossible to get to know them. They loved sight seeing and exploring, which apparently didn't get old even after living in the same city for a few years. However, they knew what the couple looked like, and the person exiting their front door certainly wasn't either of them._

_It was man, maybe 170 or so centimeters (That's around 5'7-6 feet), tanned and blonde, wearing a dark blue hoodie and nearly the same shade jeans, red-rimmed glasses atop his nose. He seemed to be a bit muscular, as well. Although he was maybe a street, a staircase, and a yard and a half away, Arthur could make out beautiful, sparkling blue eyes. This man certainly was new here, since barely anyone looking like that even passes through his neighborhood. If he'd been here before, Arthur was positive he'd remember a person like that._

_He watched as the strange man made his way down the three-step staircase, holding what looked to be a fancy camera in his right hand. Arthur sat up a bit straighter as he watched the devilishly attractive man kneel on the grass, looking up and around before finding the perfect place. He laid back on the grass, making Arthur question if this man was truly as old as he looked. (20? 21?) He reached up, bringing the camera to his chest as he turned it on, holding it close to his eyes as he took a few pictures. Arthur directed his gaze to where the camera would be pointing- It was the very edge of one of the trees by the house the man was staying in, and coupled with the foggy blue-grey sky, it would make a gorgeous photo._

_Once the man was satisfied with his photos, he stood, brushing his hoodie off and wrapping turning the camera off, holding it protective. He looked around a bit more, before his eyes found Arthur. Only now did it occur to Arthur that he had been staring, which prompted a red, embarrassed face and a quick glance to the ground from him. He heard the man laugh from across the street, and Arthur swore every fiber in his body tensed and shuddered at the sound, knowing his face heated up even more. It was such a beautiful sound.. Arthur couldn't resist looking back up at the man across the way, seeing him wave at Arthur with a grin that you didn't forget for months. He waved at Arthur, not caring if he had been staring at him._

_Arthur shyly raised his hand, waving back at the man with mass hesitation. The man seemed to only smile wider at Arthur's return of the simple greeting, but didn't stay outside for too much longer. He turned, heading back up the steps. Arthur assumed that would be the last of their interactions for now, but he wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. However, the man paid Arthur one last glance once he opened the door, and Arthur nearly flinched when he saw him direct a wink his way. It was the kind of wink you know he practiced on a mirror in high school._

_The door closed, and he man was back inside the house he most certainly didn't live in. As soon as the mysterious, yet gorgeous stranger was out of sight, Arthur let out a nearly dreamy sigh. That man was beautiful, and he seemed so kind. Arthur knew he just had to see him again._

_Of course, his fascination with the man didn't mean anything. He just looked like he could be a possible friend, and Arthur didn't want to miss out on the opportunity. Yeah, that was it. Arthur repeated that to himself over and over in his head as he stood, opening the door and re-entering the house as he heard Owen come down the stairs to get ready for school._

_Just a friend. Just a friend._


	2. Weak.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tries to keep himself from falling in love- it doesnt work. More Iggy backstory.

_The entire day, all Arthur could think about was that mysterious stranger. He didn't know his name, where he was from, or really anything about him. All he knew was that he was a photographer, that he most certainly didn't live in the house he found him in (Since there was no sign that the couple residing there had moved out, and he did find their car back in the driveway later that night.) and that he was the most gorgeous thing Arthur had ever laid eyes on. He kept trying to force himself not to think about it, to keep his mind off of his beautiful blue eyes and his golden skin. God, it probably felt amazing to touch. No. Stop that._

_He tried to distract himself all day while his brothers were out. Since two worked and one had school, he was left alone by himself. The plan was to keep himself working as much of the day as he could. He cleaned, he rearranged, he baked (since he cant cook) and did it all over again. Regardless of his efforts, Arthur began to..move differently. Act differently. Almost lovesick as he danced around the house, giggling at nothing and sighing for no particular reason. He caught himself in the midst of his off behavior every once and a while, and he tried to stop himself. If he was being honest with himself, he knew there was no way of stopping whatever was happening to him. He knew what love was. He hadn't exactly been in love before, though. Sure, he's had crushes in school before, but never actual love._

_This wasn't love, though. There was no way. He didn't know what he was feeling, but he knew it was something. It had to be something. He prayed it wasn't, but he didn't want to argue with reality._

_Arthur had always been hesitant about telling his family about his romantic interests. His two older brothers were extremely homophobic- or at least, Allistor is. He wasn't sure Seamas' opinion, but he always seemed to side with Allistor. He wasn't sure if he was just agreeing so they didn't fight or argue over the subject, or because he actually agreed with him. Arthur never knew Owen's opinion on the topic, either. The subject was basically forbidden in their house. Any time anything to do with homosexuality or anything LGBT+ themed came on television, Allistor would change the channel and complain about the people involved, murmuring homophobic slurs under his breath- although it was loud enough for Arthur to hear._

_Arthur always knew he was gay. He had come out at the age of 15 to his parents. They hugged him and told him they loved him no matter what, and that he shouldn't ever be afraid to be honest with them. He lost his parents a month or so later, and his brothers never found out about his secret. He hated having the keep a secret from them, but he knew what would happen if they found out. He'd most likely get kicked out, and he really didn't want to leave. He could live on his own, and he would be able to stay at a few of his friend's houses if he needed to.. But he couldn't leave his brothers like that. He didn't want to live on his own by force. He wants to move out when he's ready- which isn't now. He knows his brothers need his help._

_They did start to question him when he didn't date in high-school, trying to set him up with random girls he knew nothing about. One of his friends, Willow, agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend around his brothers so they didn't question him anymore.. Arthur had crushes in high-school, but they were all boys way out of his league. He hadn't even had his first kiss yet- Willow always found a way to come up with an excuse when Arthur's brothers tried to get them to kiss. ("I'm not feeling well, I don't want him to get sick." "I'm allergic to *food Arthur ate earlier* and I don't want to risk kissing him and getting sick.") Now that he was out of school, he could date people.. (He was afraid the teachers might find out and tell his family if he was dating at school.) But when would he see him? The anxiety of getting caught by his family steered him away from dating even now. Maybe someday.._

_The strange man made him want to take risks. He had no idea who this person was, and he's only seen him for maybe a minute or two, but dear god he sent shivers down his spine and made his chest ache in the best way imaginable. He needed to see him again. Every few hours, Arthur would glance out the window in front of the house to see if the man was outside. It was a long-shot that he would come back out to take more pictures of the sky or the trees, but there was no fault in trying, right? Regardless of his efforts, every time Arthur looked outside, the neighborhood was empty. Every little movement outside caught Arthur's attention, but he always got disappointed rather quickly. As his brothers started to arrive home, Arthur began to give up. He thought about telling Owen.. Every time Allistor began to complain about anything LGBT and how disgusting he thought it was, Owen would leave the room or at least look wildly uncomfortable. Arthur didn't want to assume his youngest brother wasn't straight - he had dated women in the past - but Bisexuality and Pansexuality existed.. Maybe he was confused? As far as Arthur knew now, he was just against all the homophobia and was a decent person that didn't have anything against people that loved differently than he did. Still, he wanted Owen to know that if he needed to talk to Arthur about anything regarding sexuality or gender, he could._

_Arthur just couldn't talk to Owen about it himself._

_It was getting late, and there was no sign of the mysterious stranger outside. Arthur had given up at this point. He stopped checking outside, closing the blinds and keeping them closed as he helped Allistor make dinner. After a while, Seamas asked him to take out the trash, which he did without complaint. He never really complained when it came to his brothers. (Out loud, at least.)_

_Once Arthur stepped outside, his eyes fell upon a familiar man sitting in the yard of the house across the street. He felt his chest tighten and his eyes go wide as he processed the sight, his face heating up without Arthur's control as he just stared. This time, the mysterious man was dressed in a brown jacket and black pants, but he was taking more pictures of trees. He seemed so focused.. Arthur completely forgot what he was supposed to be doing outside as he just watched him, feeling the same light-headed feeling he had been since he'd seen him the first time. Arthur was weak, he couldn't keep himself from falling in love, even after knowing this man existed for less than a week and not even knowing anything about him._

_The man set his camera down in the grass, giving his eyes a break as he rubbed them gently. Arthur soon caught his attention as well, making the shorter man flinch and tense up as he realized he had been noticed. Arthur tried to look away, to avert his gaze away from the man, but it didn't work. He literally couldn't take his eyes off of him. This was the longest Arthur had been able to look at the mysterious man, but what happened next was something Arthur wouldn't forget for a long, long time._

**_"Hey..! You're the guy from this morning, right? The guy I waved to!"_ **


	3. Speaking.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur talks to Alfred for the first time. Kind of.

_Come on Arthur..! Say something..! He tried to think of what to say, some sort of response he could get out in a sort of reply to the man, but it took him longer than it should have. Actually hearing his voice was completely different than just imagining what he sounded like the entire day. The accent wasn't something he was expecting- The man was American. Or Canadian, Arthur could never tell the difference from their accent. His best guess was American, though. His voice had a certain little hint of..something. Something that makes you smile even if you're having the worst day of your life. Something that just sounds so familiar yet so new at the same time it makes your head spin._

_It had to have been maybe 10-20 seconds of silence at this point as Arthur just stared, and the man seemed to be a bit confused, maybe concerned for Arthur's silence. Once he noticed his change in expression, Arthur quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts and took in a deep breath, before speaking._

_**"Y-..Yes. Who exactly are you, if I may ask..?"** _

_Smooth. Smooth. No voice cracks, not too much hesitation, but a bit of stuttering. Be more collected next time, calmer. The man just laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he grinned what seemed to be a smile straight out of an old Hollywood picture. The laugh sent shivers down Arthur's spine. That too sounded amazing, like something he'll want to hear every day for the rest of his life._

_**"My name's Alfred, I'm just visiting London for work- Photography for web-design, obviously- I'm staying with a few old friends from school. Sorry if it confused 'ya."** _

_Alfred. The name even sounded American. Arthur couldn't get enough of his voice. He wanted to listen to him talk all day. This wasn't his first time hearing an American accent in person, of course. Sure, he's had American classmates and come across one of two Americans visiting London in the summers before, but dear god, something about this man's tone and over-all voice made Arthur's chest churn in the best way possible._

_It took him a few seconds before Arthur realized the man-Alfred-, was asking for his name. Oh, shit, what was his name? Arthur's mind went blank for a split second._

_**"Arthur.."** _

_-was all he could manage to get out at the moment. He could tell Alfred about his family, about how he's lived in London his entire life and never left, but no other words seemed to be able to leave his lips. This wasn't normal for Arthur. Not that he usually talked a lot, but he was never this awkward with anyone. Maybe his older brothers after a huge fight, but not a random guy he just met a few hours ago. Even if than guy was really cute._

_Alfred smiled a bit, not at all weirded out by Arthur's awkward silence. That was comforting, at least. Maybe he was, but he wasn't showing any signs of it. Instead, he just made his way closer to the edge of the sidewalk, his camera falling to rest against his (beautifully toned) chest, hanging around his neck. Was he going to come over and talk to him? Maybe he didn't just want another simple greeting like this morning. Was that even a greeting? Arthur shuddered at the idea of being only a foot or so away from this man. He'd be able to see every little detail of his face, maybe more, depending on where the conversation would be going- No, don't assume anything, Arthur._

_Alfred was almost across the road, when a familiar (at least to Arthur) voice shouted angrily from inside the living room. It made the both of them flinch a little, more so Arthur than Alfred._

_**"Arthur! Hurry up!"** _

_Must be Allistor. The voice sounded angry, and it made Alfred stop in his tracks. Was it something important for Arthur to do? Was it his dad? Was Arthur in trouble? Maybe now wasn't the best time to talk to him.. Arthur tensed a little, his gaze going back and forth between Alfred and the door he was still standing in front of. He hated disobeying his older brother's orders, knowing he'd get yelled at. He didn't want to risk getting yelled at by his family in front of Alfred. It'd make him look like a child.._

_Without another word, Arthur shyly rushed back inside, almost tripping on the small ledge where the floor inside cuts off above the porch. He gave Alfred a weak, nervous goodbye-smile, which was returned- even though Alfred's looked more like a gorgeous, you-wont-be-able-to-stop-thinking-about-me smile._

_Arthur was inside in seconds, his back pressed up against the door as he let out a slow, deep sigh. It felt like his entire body was on fire, tingling in an oddly pleasant way. Arthur was in love, and regardless of what he tried to say to convince himself otherwise, he knew he was. He knew barely anything about Alfred, but the very name invaded his thoughts and pushed out any other rational thinking. He needed to see Alfred again. And again. And again and again and again._

_He skipped dinner that night, rushing to his room so his brother's didn't question his oddly dreamy mood. Although he got yelled at through the wall about not taking out the trash like he was supposed to, Arthur could barely focus on the hurtful words. All he could think about was that gorgeous smile, that beautiful voice, and dear god, that body. He needed to see Alfred again, which he planned to be tomorrow._


	4. Progress.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actually talk and make plans haha-

_Almost exactly like the day before, Alfred never left Arthur's mind. He couldn't stop thinking about talking to him more, actually having a decent human conversation. His voice stayed with him the whole night and it took everything he had in him not to talk about him to his family. Owen did ask who he had been talking to the night before, and Arthur responded with the truth._

_**"It's just someone who's visiting London, staying with the couple across the street. He was just being polite."** _

_Owen didn't ask for anything more, he simply nodded and went along with Arthur's brief explanation. Thats all he wanted to know, anyway. Arthur forced himself not to open up to his most trusted brother about the things he was feeling when Alfred came back into his thoughts. It wasn't safe to tell anyone, let alone the one that couldn't keep a secret if it were glued to his chest._

_Once Arthur's family was out of the house for school and work, he started on his daily chores. He barely even processed what he was doing, though. His mind was else-where. He couldn't keep himself from thinking about how amazing it would be to actually have a conversation with Alfred. He wanted to hear him laugh and know he was the cause of it- intentionally, at least. He wanted to make Alfred smile with a joke or a compliment, he wanted to know more about him and feel how warm that golden skin would be under his pale fingertips as he dragged his hands down Alfred's back and-_

_Focus on the cleaning, Arthur._

_Hours went by without anything interesting happening. He made himself lunch and sat on the porch, breathing in the warm summer air. He did this every day, either in the morning or some time in the middle of the day to clear his head and give himself a break. He sat there, sipping his normal around-noon tea and watching the slightly blue sky. There wasn't much happening today, at least in his neighborhood. A few kids ran down the street with their friends, but that was all the commotion the day had to offer. At least, for a few minutes._

_Arthur perked up as he heard the door from across the street open. His wishes were granted as the subject of most of his day-dreams stepped outside. Today, he was dressed in a simple blue T-shirt and ripped jeans. Arthur couldn't keep his eyes on his face. Alfred made his way down the porch stairs, but he didn't stop in the middle of the front yard as Arthur had suspected he would. Maybe today was the day he would move to the sidewalk to take photos of the trees or the sky at a different angle. But no, Alfred kept walking, past the grassy yard, past the sidewalk, and into the road. Arthur tilted his head, still basically staring as he watched Alfred make his way to Arthur's front porch- which he was currently standing on- with a pounding heart beat._

_**"Hey.. Can I ask you for something?"** _

_For you, I would give the world- God that voice is so gorgeous he's so perfect and he wants something from me what could I possible do for him oh-_

_**"Of course."** _

_Alfred rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, Arthur noticed this to be a sort of pattern with him. And god- it was cute._

_**"I don't know my way around here too well..Maybe sometime you could show me around a bit? I wanna go explore and take photos of beautiful things, but I'm afraid of getting lost and not being able to find my way back. Maybe you'd go with me? You obviously know this city better than I do.."** _

_Arthur did his best not to space out while Alfred talked, not allowing himself to get lost in the other's voice and just the way his words sounded. American accents weren't this attractive when he heard them in movies. Alfred seemed to get a bit nervous when Arthur didn't respond a few seconds after, the change of expression bringing Arthur back to reality._

_**"I would-..Yes."** _

_God, that was such a stupid response! Arthur mentally scolded himself for not being able to actually form a correct sentence, but Alfred just laughed. Not a I'm-making-fun-of-you laugh, but a ha-thats-cute laugh. Arthur could feel his face burning at the sound, his eyes focused on the expression Alfred makes when he laughs. Perfect. Real. Beautiful._

_**"Great, then. Should I stop by tomorrow? Pick you up and we can head out?"** _

_Arthur didn't trust himself enough to give a spoken answer, so he just nodded his head, maybe too enthusiastically. Alfred laughed again at that. He'd be a fool not to at least start to pick up on Arthur's feelings._

_It was obvious at this point, and Arthur dreaded the indirect rejection that would come soon. You know, not up-front about saying 'I'm not into you', but making it a point to start a conversation with 'my partner and i' or something like that, just proving to Arthur he was taken or not interested or..something. Arthur knew it would come, but for now, he was too lost in Alfred's laugh._

_Before Arthur could explain himself and his awkward responses (was he really going to do that anyway, though?) Alfred turned and made his way down the cement trail that lead to Arthur's porch. Arthur tried to keep the whimper in his throat, feeling his chest loosen as Alfred walked away. He tried to get out a 'bye' or 'see you tomorrow', but no words left his lips. Just an almost-lovesick sigh. Thank God Alfred was mostly across the street before he could hear it. Was this a date? Was it going to be a date? Was it possible to go on a date with Alfred? Either way, he was going to see him tomorrow for more than 2 minutes and the idea was magic to Arthur._

_Arthur turned after a moment, about to pick up his cup and make his way back inside, but he stopped when he heard Alfred's voice again, a bit of a shout due to the sudden gap between them._

_**"Hey! Guess what?"** _

_He stood, not allowing himself to give a verbal answer- or maybe he just forgot to- as he tilted his head in confusion at Alfred, who only laughed and held up his camera. He was holding it in the position in front of his eye that you would use when you took photos of video, but it was pointed at Arthur. That couldn't be right. Arthur flinched a little when he saw the flash that came from the camera once the picture was taken, and it took him a moment to process what had just happened. Did Alfred just take a picture of him? Why?_

_**"Got one beautiful thing already.."** _

_Alfred grinned and winked at Arthur, letting his camera fall back to his chest as he went back into the house. Arthur just stood there, his face flushing as he understood what he had just said. Did he just-..call him beautiful?_

_Holy sh **it.-**_


	5. Coming out- Part one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha this is going to be drawn out reeaaally slowly.

_Arthur couldn't sleep that night. He was excited, anxious, but dear god he was scared. How long was he going to be gone? When was Alfred going to stop by? What if his brothers were still home when he arrived? Where was he going to take him? What if he stood him up?_

_All of the possibilities and 'what if's were swirling around in Arthur's head, and it didn't allow him to get much sleep. It had been maybe 3 hours or so of just laying back, staring at the ceiling in front of him. Arthur always went to sleep a bit early- compared to his family, though. He usually went to bed around 9 or so, since his insomnia usually kept him awake for two or so hours. Regardless of the fact that Owen was still in school, Arthur was the one that wasn't allowed to stay up late. He didn't exactly know why, but Seamas always said it was because of his sleeping issues. Sometimes it was helpful, but other's it was just annoying. He wasn't the one that had to get up early in the morning for school. (Owen usually stayed up until 11 or so.)  It was almost midnight at this point, and it was a bit odd that Owen was still watching television with the two eldest._

_Arthur and Owen shared a bedroom, which wasn't that big, but was split up the best it could have been. The two have never been those siblings that make a line between their respective sides of the room to separate themselves. They were always close, since the other two parts of their family weren't the most lovey-dovey kinds of people. They needed each other more than they'd like to admit. Arthur breathed out as he slowly sat up, pushing the thin covers off of himself as he stood. He had a certain type of tea that helped him sleep, which he had to hide from his family. It was kind of expensive, so he wasn't exactly able to buy it more than maybe once a month or so. He only drank it when he couldn't sleep, which was maybe once a week or so. Maybe tonight would be one of those nights._

_He walked through the short, dimly lit hallway slowly, as silently as he could. While Seamas didn't really mind if Arthur got up once and while to go to the bathroom or get himself a drink, Allistor would get pissed very easily at seeing Arthur out of his room past 10. If he saw him wandering the house this late, he'd yell at him to go back to bed. Arthur knew if that happened, he'd be so shaken that he probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep regardless of his brother's demands. He walked as quietly as humanly possible, peeking into the living room. Allistor and Seamas were on the couch, more than likely holding some sort of alcoholic beverage while watching some late-night television show. Arthur could see the their faces in the dark by the light of the screen. Seamas looked a bit tired, and Allistor held his usually stoic, slightly upset-looking expression. Owen wasn't there, which only peaked Arthur's curiosity._

_Arthur stepped into the kitchen, relieved neither of his elder brothers heard his movements. He'd have to be very quiet in the kitchen and turn off the kettle before it whistled. He just needed the water to be warm this time - he didn't exactly want to wait too long this time. Once he entered the kitchen, he was greeted with Owen on the counter-top. He paused, before his younger brother smile, speaking in a slightly louder voice- loud enough for the other two to hear in the living room._

**_"Sorry I woke you up, Arthur..!"_ **

_Arthur smiled a bit, whispering a soft 'Thank you' to Owen, knowing that if Allistor got upset for Arthur being up, he'd be upset at Owen. Although it's not the perfect alternative, he knew Owen cared for him, and this was one of his weird ways of showing it. Owen reached in the far back of one of the cabinets, taking out his Valerian tea box and handing it to Arthur, starting on heating up the water. Owen was a good egg._

_**"Can't sleep again, I see.. Any reason in particular?"** _

_Owen spoke in a soft, quiet voice, knowing that Allistor was probably a little pissed at him anyway, and distracting him from his show might not be the best idea. Arthur hesitated, quietly taking out two mugs. Owen wasn't up this late for no reason, and he was being pretty kind to him tonight, so Arthur didn't see a reason why he couldn't give him some of his special tea. He was silent for a moment, before breathing out. He could trust Owen. He knew Owen. Owen was the nicest part of the family and he didn't even need to tell him everything to get his point across, so he supposed it was okay?_

_**"I..I have a date tomorrow."** _

_Owen almost dropped his mug at the words. Was Arthur serious? He had never really talked about crushes or anything to him, and he was a bit confused as to why. The reaction only worried Arthur, but he tried to play it off like this wasn't the riskiest conversation._

_**"I'm a little nervous.."** _

_**"Don't be!"** _

_Owen shot up, covering his mouth quickly as he spoke a bit too enthusiastically, his voice echoing through the kitchen. Luckily, nothing came from living room. The two almost simultaneously sighed in relief at the silence. Owen quickly drew his attention back to Arthur and his situation, grinning like an idiot. At least he wasn't upset. Arthur didn't know why he thought he would be upset._

_**"Tell me all about it!"** _

_Arthur opened up to him about meeting Alfred, but he made sure to use they/them pronouns for him. Owen usually did that when he spoke about girls he liked at school. Although it really didn't hide too much, he felt it was completely concealing their identities. Absolutely no clues to who the person was, and the gender was usually obvious. Arthur was glad this was an option when talking to Owen, since he obviously couldn't say the person he was meeting was a man, and Arthur didn't exactly feel right about calling Alfred a girl. Either way, he told Owen everything- their ravishing blonde hair, adorable little glasses, alluring blue eyes, beautiful American accent and beautiful golden skin. The two made their way into their shared room with their drinks, keeping their voices to a whisper- although, neither of them really cared about getting caught at this point. They sat on their separate beds, continuing the conversation as Owen began to undress, slipping into his looser, more comfortable sleeping clothes._

_**"So, what's their name?"** _

_Arthur tended to have a bit of a problem with stammering when he was nervous or anxious. He was usually amazing with words, but when he got worried, he could barely form a correct sentence. He hadn't really thought of a name. What American gender-neutral names did he know? Fuck fuck fuck, think of something!_

_**"I-..W-..H-His name..-"** _

_Oh._

_Shit._

_Not that. _

_Arthur realized his mistake only seconds after it left his lips, his eyes widening as he shot up, tensing as he felt his face heat up. His stomach churned unpleasantly as he understood what exactly he had just said, his eyes going straight to Owen's face, which looked almost just like his. Owen's eyes were blown wide, and he looked a mix of confused and shocked. The very expression made Arthur feel sick to his stomach._

_**"..His?"** _

_He didn't know what to do, what to say. He couldn't just blow something like this off as a common mistake. Arthur desperately tried to come up with some way to cover it up, but it only made him stutter out more nonsense. He could feel tears in his eyes, and regardless of his fears, he was on the verge of begging Owen not to tell the other two about his confession. Before he could start sobbing and crawling onto his knees to kiss Owen's feet, his brother just laughed. Was he making fun of him? Arthur perked up, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and confusion._

_**"Wasn't expecting that."** _

_Arthur processed the words slowly, not exactly understanding what the younger's reaction was supposed to mean. Was he upset? Was he using sarcasm to make himself sound accepting? Was he going to tell Allistor and Seamas? Or was he actually okay with this? Now that he's actually considering it, Owen's never really seemed to be against anything LGBT+ themed. Although Allistor made it a point to be the loudest voice against the subject, Owen never once said anything LGBTphobic. His suspicions were confirmed as Arthur felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He must have been so deep in his worries and confusion that he didn't even notice Owen get up and walk over to his side of the room._

_**"Good for you, man. I bet he's nice."** _

_After a few moments of disbelief and staring, he nearly pushed Owen onto the ground in a tight, gleeful hug. Thank god. He felt like a 100 pound weight was being lifted off of his chest at the accepting response, and almost as if Owen was reading his might, he spoke in an excited whisper._

_**"I won't tell the others, I promise."** _

_For the next 20 minutes or so, the two bonded and opened up to each other. Arthur told Owen all about Alfred, his muscles, his sexy voice, how much Arthur wanted to be in his arms. Owen mentioned to Arthur about his own closeted identity- Arthur never would have guessed Owen was bisexual. He told his older brother about interests he's had in guys at school, but the other two siblings would never allow it. The two swore on their lives and happiness that they would keep everything a secret, and after a half an hour, they had completed the longest conversation they've ever had together since grade school._

_Arthur didn't have too much difficulty falling asleep after that, even though he hadn't even touched his tea. The added confidence made the idea of seeing Alfred again tomorrow a bit easier to process._


	6. Preparations.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to put up- I got really busy within the last week. Anyway- Arthur gets ready for his 'date' and completely gives into anxiety a few times. I'm just drawing out these chapters, aren't I? Props to anyone who can see the musical reference I put in there.

_Once Arthur opened his eyes in the morning, he was met with Owen's face only inches above his own. He flinched a bit at the unnatural sight, not exactly expecting his brother's sky blue eyes to be the first thing he was once he woke up. The color reminded him of Alfred's soft blue eyes, god, they were beautiful. He got to see them again today..! As if it wasn't the only thing Arthur had been thinking about all night, Owen seemed to feel the need to remind him._

_**"Let's get you ready for your date."** _

_Arthur glanced over at the alarm clock next to him on the bedside table, and behind the few books that had accumulated into a small pile, the black screen read '8:23' in red, glowing text. It was around the time Owen got up for secondary school, which meant the other two were downstairs getting ready for work already. Arthur smiled softly, sitting up the best he could in his half-asleep half-awake state. Owen reached out his hand, easily pulling his brother up as he rushed over to the elder's closet. He began to push through the racks, Arthur coming to his side after a minute or two of getting used to being awake._

**_"You need to figure out what to wear!"_ **

_Owen asked a few more questions about Alfred- more about what he looked like a few things he had said and just what exactly Arthur loved so much about him. Arthur smiled a bit at the questions, getting lost in thought plenty of times during the conversation as Owen pushed shirts to his chest, deciding whether or not he would look good in it. After maybe 5 or 10 minutes of Owen looking through Arthur's wardrobe and nudging him every 3 seconds to re-capture his daydreaming brother's attention, they decided on an outfit: dark green pants with a light green dress-shirt, a darker green vest across his chest, fitting his curves perfectly. (That was something Owen found absolutely necessary.)_

_The two rushed down the stairs in quiet giggles, Owen a mix of teasing and praising his brother for finally finding someone to give his affection to. Arthur kept pushing away all of the ideas that his younger sibling seemed to be sure of, not even knowing if Alfred was interested in men, let alone him. Once they were downstairs, they were met with Seamas and Allistor in the kitchen, slipping on their coats as Allistor handed Owen his bag for school. Owen was already dressed and seemed to be full of energy- how early did he get up? Did he wake up before he needed to just to help Arthur prepare for his date? How kind of him.._

_Since Arthur normally got dressed after the other three had left, him being all dressed up at 8:40 a.m was a bit out of the ordinary. Allistor set his hand on Arthur's shoulder, stopping him before he could get to the cabinet for his morning tea. Arthur flinched a little at the touch, but that wasn't such a change. (If he's not feeling weird or super strange.) He always got a bit jumpy when it came to Allistor, for reasons he would rather push out of his brain._

**_"What's with the fancy get-up?"_ **

_Arthur hesitated, but decided against lying. Fully, at least. But partially.._

_**"I have a date."** _

_"Oh? Is it that sweet lil' Willow girl from school? I always liked her."_

_With a deep, slow breath, Arthur smiled, his eyes darting from Seamas, to Allistor, to the floor and back again._

**_"Of course it's with Willow."_ **

_As Allistor and Seamas continued to cheer on Arthur, telling him he picked a lovely gal and patting him on the back as they made lewd comments, ("Use protection, kiddo!" "Don't slip your hand up her skirt on the first date, boy!" It took all Arthur had in him not to remind them that Willow was Asexual, not that they would know what that was. They were probably the most uneducated assholes in all of the UK.) He glanced back over at Owen, who seemed to have an odd expression on his face. He was smiling, looking somewhat humored by the situation, since the other two were so oblivious to the truth, yet also proud, proud of Arthur for coming up with such a good lie and being able to stick with it through the homophobia practically emanating off of the two elders. Although, in Owen's sky-blue eyes, Arthur noticed sadness- he was sad for Arthur having to keep such an important part of his life hidden and needed to make up lies just so he wouldn't get disowned. Owen seemed like he needed a reassuring hug, but Arthur couldn't deliver it until the day was over, as to avoid questioning from the other two. (Hugs weren't the most natural thing with Allistor and Seamas.)_

_The three left slowly, the elder two sticking around just enough to make Owen late for the first class to ruffle Arthur's hair, telling him how proud of him they were for finally finding a girl he could call his own. He told them not to get ahead of themselves, that they were only going out for coffee and not running away to get married in Slovakia. He was afraid that they'd get too excited with his 'relationship' that they'd start asking 'so when is she coming over here'? How exactly do you tell your homophobic brothers that you're going on a 'date' with a cute American boy and that you've never had a girlfriend or even been interested in girls at all without getting disowned?_

_As Owen made his way out the door, he gave Arthur a reassuring smile, patting his shoulder and whispering a soft 'tell me how it goes' before he closed the door behind him. Arthur breathed out, stepping back into the kitchen to make himself some calming tea. To say that he was anxious for the 'date' was a total understatement. He was terrified. He wasn't exactly sure what time Alfred was coming to pick him up.. If he had given him a time, he must have forgotten it at some point last night- which wasn't natural for him, simply proving how worried he was._

_Arthur sat himself down onto the couch, sipping his half-empty cup of calming raspberry tea as he breathed out slowly. He repeated reassuring things to himself over and over, telling himself he was going to be okay and nothing was going to go wrong, but even still, worrisome what-ifs didn't leave his mind. What if Alfred stood him up? What if Arthur was over-dressed? What if Alfred was straight? Or married? Or not interested in Arthur in any way other than a tour-guide from across the road?_

_Regardless of how realistic some of those troubles seemed to Arthur, he was pulled out of his panicky state when his breath caught, his entire body locking up as he heard a gentle, yet excited knock at the front door. This was it. With a deep, hopefully-helpful breath in, Arthur stood slowly, making his way over to the said door and opening it. He was met with a sight that made his heart beat faster in his chest and his entire body tingle in the best of ways._

**_"Hey, Artie! Ready to head out?"_ **


	7. On their way.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date begins. Everything is awkward and Iggy doesn't know how to function properly.

_Alfred looked absolutely gorgeous, but he wasn't dressed the same way Arthur was. Instead of the dress-y outfit the Brit was sporting, the American instead took a more casual approach. He was dressed in a dark blue hoodie with ripped jeans. The hoodie read "Tear in my heart." Arthur was almost sure that was from some American band.. Either way, it gave Alfred an amazing appearance. It looked loose on his body, yet it framed the muscles on his arms, shoulders and chest. Aside from those breathtakingly beautiful blue eyes, Alfred's muscles always seemed to be one of the first things Arthur noticed when he looked at him. Arthur was a bit nervous about the clothing different, afraid he had over-dressed compared to Alfred, but that wasn't the case, apparently._

_**"You look really nice. Honestly, I couldn't imagine you in anything normal."** _

_Normal? By that, did he mean something casual that didn't make him look like he was either going to a high-class job interview or a date with a celebrity? Regardless of the meaning behind the simple remark, Arthur's head was still spilling at the new nick-name Alfred had given him. Artie, huh? Owen called him that once or twice, but only when he was really sad or tired. It sounded so wonderful on Alfred's lips._

_Arthur awkwardly thanked him for the compliment, luckily, his voice didn't crack as he desperately tried to ignore the aching in his chest as his face heated up at the idea that Alfred thought he looked nice. The shorter blonde stepped outside, closing the door gently behind himself as he locked it, before slowly leading Alfred back down the path to his house. He was trying to think of something to say, some way to start a conversation so he could hear more of that gorgeous voice. There was a few seconds of silence between the two, before-luckily, Alfred broke the silence.  "So, where you plan on taking me?"_

_It took Arthur a moment to remember what the entire point of this was. Alfred was here on work, to take breathtaking photos of London, and he needed Arthur's help while looking around so he could recommend places to photograph. (And so he didn't get lost.) Arthur thought for a few moments, before looking back at Alfred, his heart stopping. The American was gazing down at him with the warmest, kindest smile Arthur thought possible. His sky-blue eyes nearly twinkled in the sunlight, and dear god it was beautiful. His eyes held an emotion that Arthur couldn't quite pinpoint. It looked to be a mix of adoration and interest, and it made the Brit melt a bit in place, his steps slowing a little without his knowledge. He desperately wanted to reach the few inches away Alfred was and taking the camera from around his neck, lifting it and snapping a quick photo of that expression. It was the most beautiful thing on this side of the world, and it was such a shame it would most likely only be there for a few seconds._

_Arthur barely realize he had been staring, until that lovely expression upon Alfred's face had disappeared. He paused, reality hitting him square in the jaw as he quickly caught up to the other's pace, smiling lightly out of embarrassment. Luckily, Alfred didn't question him. His awkward silences have happened so many times in the short period of time they've known each other, Alfred probably thought this was normal. It kind of was, now that Arthur actually thought about it._

_**"W-What was your question again? I'm sorry, I spaced out for a moment there.."** _

_Real smooth, but hey, say it how it is. Best to go into this interaction with total and complete honestly._

_**"I just asked where we were going. You actually live here, I'm sure you know some pretty beautiful places."** _

_God, his voice was a weapon designed to torture Arthur's poor little body. His skin heated up at the little laugh that left Alfred's lips at the end of the statement, and every word coming from him just made him want to scream- in the best way possible, of course._

_After a quick discussion of what exactly Alfred was looking to photograph and the aesthetic he was going for, the decided on Kensington Palace. Arthur barely visited there anymore, but it was one of his go-to places to meet his friends at during the end of secondary school. (That highschool for you American dweebs.) It did seem like the kind of thing Alfred would enjoy. Beautiful architecture coupled with lovely flowers around the entrance, Arthur didn't see a reason why it wouldn't be perfect._

_He didn't think it would be as amazing as it would, though. Alfred did, though. Sneaky little shit. he had so much planned for Arthur, he wouldn't know what hit him. That is, if Arthur would allow what he had in store, at least. They barely knew each other for more than three days, and this was a bit of step. He prayed to god Arthur would be okay with it, though._

_Little nib had no idea._


	8. Surprise.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one might be a bit longer than what y'all are used to. Sorry about that.   
> Arthur and Alfred go on their first 'date'. It goes better than expected.

_The walk to Kensington Palace was just as awkward as Arthur had feared- on his side, at least. The Brit stuttered over his words, stammering with every sentence he managed to get out, and could barely hold eye contact for more than a few seconds before forcing himself to avert his gaze elsewhere. He even tripped over his own feet once or twice, but that always got a laugh out of Alfred. Not a teasing, I'm-making-fun-of-you laugh, but a you're-making-me-smile kind of laugh. Arthur loved the way that kind of thing sounded o Alfred's lips, and a few of the trips might have been intentional just for the sake of hearing that sound again. Alfred, however, didn't seem to be dealing with any sort of nerves. Was he just that confident in himself? That did worry Arthur a bit, though. Weren't you supposed to be nervous on first dates? Did Alfred not consider this a date? That idea made his stomach ache in an unpleasant, yet tolerable way. Arthur sure saw this as a date, the closest to a date with a boy he's ever been on._

_Well, that wasn't exactly entirely true. When Arthur was 14, he went on his first actual date. He knew he was gay from a very young age, but was hesitant to tell anyone at school. Although his brothers weren't the most active with personal subjects, they really cared about Arthur's progress in school, and he was almost positive if one teacher found out, his family would, too. He absolutely could not have that._

_As said, Arthur was 14 when he went on his first date. There was a boy at school named Simon, yet the system had it as Samantha. This boy really had no problem telling everyone about his identity, and Arthur envied that kind of bravery. He wanted to talk to him, to confide in him and pray that he could help him in some way, but he never had the chance to talk to him. Arthur also had a slight crush on a boy named Riley, but the poor kid barely spoke to him. Arthur was wandering around in the hallway during lunch when he spotted Riley with a few of his friends. Just as any love struck teenager would, he stared, caught up in Riley's gorgeous green eyes and soft looking red hair._

_The boys spotted Arthur, looking all lovesick and dreamy at their friend, and began to tease him. They called him slurs, hateful things and shoved him around a little. Riley made a disgusted sound when one of his friends pointed out Arthur's nearly obvious affections towards him. It shattered young Arthur's heart, leaving him to sit against the hallway walls as the boys rushed back to the lunch room. While he sat there, fighting off tears and rubbing the newly formed bruises on his arms and shoulders, Simon came up the stairs, stopping in front of him. Simon passed pretty well, and somehow, his parents convinced the school to allow him to wear the boy's uniforms. He had short black hair and wore thick rimmed glasses over his hazel eyes. He smiled gently as he saw Arthur's frail state, sitting next to him and telling him how it was completely okay to be gay. Simon was the first person Arthur ever came out to, and he fell for him quickly._

_Their first date when a few months after their first encounter, at a small park near Arthur's house. (Simon was forced to bring his little sister with him, though. She wasn't too much younger than him, just a year and a half, and she was sweet, too. He just didn't want it to ruin the romance.) One of Arthur's other friends had spilled to his family that he was on a date that day, and his brothers just needed to check in on them._

_As soon as Simon saw Allistor coming up the sidewalk to the park, he began to panic. They were sitting across from each other, hands held on the picnic table, his little sister wandering around somewhere else. He thought fast, though, quickly bringing his sister to take his seat, Simon rushing off so it seemed like the two were alone. Arthur understood, whispering to the girl what to say if his brother asked anything, and the darling girl agreed. Although Arthur and Simon never actually ended up staying together, that interaction nearly saved Arthur's life._

_That would not be the last time Willow pretended to be Arthur's date, but it was the most awkward._

_This date, Arthur promised himself, would go better- and not involve his family._

_\---_

_**"So..Is this is?"** _

_Alfred broke Arthur's train of thought as he stopped walking, Arthur tripping slightly to a stop as well as his eyes flickered upwards. He recognized the dull red brick immediately, nodding a bit as he answered Alfred's question. The American didn't speak for a moment, which worried Arthur. Did he not like it? America was a very beautiful country, did it not compare to other places he'd seen before? (Arthur really needed to stop getting ahead of himself.) After a few moments of silence, Arthur finally glanced over at Alfred, his worries melting away as he saw Alfred readying his camera, pulling the cover off and taking it off from around his neck. Thank god, he wasn't disappointed._

_Alfred wandered to random spots around Kensington Palace, taking quick photographs of the different varieties of flowers around the entrance or different angles from the edge of the bricks. Arthur just sat on a close-by bench and watched Alfred contently, almost holding the same expression he did when he watched Riley five years ago. This seemed..stronger, somehow- like, even in 4 other men came over and kicked him around a little, Arthur wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from the way Alfred's skin glowed under the soft sunlight._

_After about 5 or 10 minutes of Alfred taking photos and Arthur watched in a lovesick haze, the American wandered back over to the Brit, gentle settling his camera back around his neck and putting the cover over it protectively. Arthur managed to pull himself out of his dazed state before Alfred had the chance to embarrassingly tug him out of it. He smiled gently, about to stand up and ask Alfred if he wanted him to take him anywhere else, before Alfred sat next to him, seemingly not ready to leave. Arthur figured he was going to turn around, prop his camera up on the bench, and take a few photos of the roses behind them, but that wasn't the case, apparently._

_Instead, Alfred directed his gaze to Arthur. Arthur had to look behind himself a few times, making sure it was actually him that dreamboat was looking at. Once he was sure there was no one behind him, Alfred started to get a bit closer. Arthur started to back away, to slump into his seat a little. Maybe Alfred was trying to look at something juuust behind him? However, before Arthur could move out of the way, Alfred grabbed his shoulders, stopping him from scooting back any farther. Arthur could nearly feel his heart stop beating as his eyes slowly wandered from the ground a few feet away from them, to Alfred's arm, then to his chest, (they lingered there for a bit.) then finally up to his eyes. There was something else in those gorgeous blue eyes that Arthur wasn't exactly used to. Something desperate, yet innocent._

_The two sat there, looking into each other's eyes like that for what seemed like centuries. (It was, like, 9 seconds.) Arthur was almost shaking. He tried to questions Alfred, to do something, but nothing left his lips. He could feel his face burning and dear god Alfred's never touched him for his long before. Arthur's entire body was tingling as a warm sensation overtook him. Alfred wasn't speaking, either- but he seemed less like he was going to explode at any second._

_Finally, Alfred moved. But instead of letting Arthur go and allowing him to breathe calmly, he leaned closer. One of his hands moved up Arthur's shoulder, resting on his neck gently. Holy shit, that felt so amazing. Arthur shuddered, his face impossibly heating up more, but he couldn't pull out of Alfred's grasp. He couldn't even look away, time seemed to be dragging, going slow like the important scenes in movies so the viewers didn't miss a second. Arthur needed to say something. He needed to know what was going on before he turned into a weak little mess in front of Kensington Palace._

_**"Alfred..what..-"** _

_Before he could finish his sentence, Alfred made Arthur's entire world freeze in place. Alfred seemed to hesitate for a moment, trying to map out his next move in his head, before just saying 'fuck it' and leaning over, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to Arthur's lips. Arthur locked up, his hands gripping at his own pants tightly as he tried desperately to stay still. This was the most amazing experience of his life, and like hell was he going to mess it up. Slowly as to not seem like he's been achingly desperate for this ever since they shared their first glance, Arthur gently wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck, before his fingertips gently dug into the American's hood. The material was so soft on his skin, and dear god Alfred's lips felt like clouds._

_Arthur had never actually kissed a boy, and he would be lying if he said it wasn't the single most amazing feeling in the entire world. He never wanted to pull away, to end this magical moment. Alfred was kissing him. Alfred. Was kissing Arthur. His worries fell out the window as he gently returned the kiss, but the urge to breathe became too much for them. Alfred was the first to pull away, Arthur nearly pushing closer to him as if to chase the kiss. His face heated up once he realized what he had done, but Alfred just laughed breathlessly._

_**"You're so cute..God, you're so gorgeous.."** _

_The words made Arthur melt, somehow more than he already had, and he smiled like the lovesick teenager he still technically was. His hands never left Alfred for the rest of the day. Alfred requested that Arthur show him a few more places around London, and to be honest, Arthur would fling himself off a building if Alfred asked him to at this point. Whether they were walking around the city of just sitting and enjoying the views, Arthur's hands were either on Alfred's chest, around his shoulders, his arms of their hands were glued together._

_After an hour or so, Alfred walked Arthur back home. It had to be maybe a half an hour before Owen came back from school, and he knew he would want all the details Arthur could get out before the other two came home from work. Alfred walked Arthur to his doorstep, giving him another one of those painfully addicting kisses, before wandering across the street and slipping back into the house. Arthur stood there against his front door for a few moments, before he too made his way back inside. He let out a sound that could only be described as a lovesick teenage squeal, but Arthur didn't care. This day had been perfect._

_Arthur's brothers were successful in not getting involved in his first date with Alfred, but their relationship? That was a completely different situation._


	9. Little Brother.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen confronts Alfred about the difficulties that might come with with interactions with Arthur, and Alfred reveals a bit of a secret himself.

_As soon as Owen was home, he wanted to hear everything about Arthur's date. Arthur eagerly told his younger brother how the day went, happy to finally have the ability to talk to his family about that sort of thing- or at least, a part of his family. Regardless, it mattered a lot to Arthur, and he was content with rambling on to the other about the events of the interaction. Once Arthur got to the part where Alfred kissed him, Owen nearly squealed, a wide grin slipping itself onto his face as he hugged onto Arthur, telling him how happy he was for him. He was a bit worried, though. Now that Alfred was comfortable around Arthur enough to have feelings for him, he'd most likely try to come over sooner or later. As much as Owen wanted Arthur and Alfred to get closer and continue their growing relationship, he was worried Alfred would come by when Allistor or Seamas were home. He probably wouldn't know of Arthur's secret and identify himself as Arthur's boyfriend or date or whatever._

_The possibility of such a situation worried Owen, and once Arthur wandered upstairs to call Willow and tell her all about it, he was going to fix it._

_As soon as Owen knew Arthur was in their room and on the phone with his friend, he slowly slipped out of the house. The others wouldn't be home for about another hour and a half, so he had time. From what Arthur had told him, Alfred was staying across the street at the always-gone couple's house. Owen slowly made his way across the street, glancing back at his own house a few times to make sure he could still see Arthur in the window up there. Luckily, his absence had gone unnoticed. Owen gently knocked at the front door of the house from across the street, being greeted by a gorgeous man- tall, blonde, with baby blue eyes. Definitely the man he was looking for._

**_"You're Alfred, right? Can I come in..? I need to talk to you. It's about Arthur."_ **

_\--_

**_"So.. Your older brother's don't know he's gay..?"_ **

**_"Nope.. It's better if they don't. For now, at least."_ **

_Alfred thought for a moment, before nodding slowly. He smiled lightly as he directed his gaze from the floor to where Owen was sitting across from him on the couch. It took Owen a while to explain everything to him- how their brothers were homophobic and could absolutely by no means know of his relationship with Arthur, and the times they would be gone. (They decided it might just be a bit easier for Arthur to stop by where Alfred was staying instead of the other way around, therefore avoiding possible problems.) Alfred gave Owen his phone number- that way, he and Arthur had a way to interact more, and if Arthur asked where Owen had gone, he could just say that Alfred stopped by to give Arthur his number, but he was upstairs, so he just gave it to Owen instead._

_Owen stood, hugging onto Alfred tightly as he sighed, getting ready to leave. Once he pulled away and headed for the door, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned, noticing that Alfred's expression had changed a bit- no longer accepting and easy-going, but more worried and regretful. He asked what was wrong, and shyly sat back down, copying Alfred's own motions._

_**"..I told you how I was just staying here for a week or so..right?"** _

_Oh no. Owen's stomach filled with dread as he sat up straighter, his eyes slowly widening in disbelief as Alfred continued his explanation._

_"..I leave in 3 days. I know, I shouldn't have gotten myself involved with someone if I was just going right back home, but..I couldn't help it. Arthur's perfect, there was no way I could avoid asking him out.."_

_Owen stared, his eyes filling with fear as he tried to focus on what Alfred was saying. He was going to leave soon..He was going to break Arthur's heart. He suddenly felt angry at Alfred- angry that he was going to put his brother through something like this. Why would he ask someone out, kiss them, then leave? He wanted to yell at him, to scream, but what good would that do..? He was about to stand and just walk out, to do everything in his power to convince Arthur never to see Alfred again, before he was stopped- yet again- but Alfred's hand on his shoulder._

**_"B-But I have an idea for that!"_ **

_Owen paused, folding his arms and looking down at Alfred, reluctantly sitting back down with a roll of his eyes._

_**"I-..Arthur said he was 19 and he wasn't at a school here..I..I was wondering if he could..come with me."** _

_Alfred's words made Owen freeze for a completely different reason- Arthur wasn't going to lose Alfred, they were going to lose Arthur. If Arthur found out about this idea, there was no way he could accept..right? Actually, now that the option is out there, it might be better for Arthur to go with Alfred.. He'd be with someone he loves, he might be able to get to a good American college, and he'd finally get out of that abusive household. As much as Owen loved his older brothers, they scared he and Arthur half to death almost every day._

_But wasn't that a huge step for them? Hadn't Alfred and Arthur only known each other for- what? - three days? At the most? Was Alfred sure he felt that strongly about him? Would they live together in America? Where even in America would they be staying?_

_Owen breathed out, deciding he was thinking to far into his older brother's future. He smiled softly, nodding to Alfred. He told him they still had a few days to decide what to do. Although it wasn't up to him, Owen told Alfred he had his permission. This seemed to give Alfred a bit more confidence in his plan, making him grin as he stood, hugging onto Owen tightly. Owen reminded him of the challenges he'd face by attempting this, and the possibility that Arthur denied his offer._

_Either way, Alfred seemed satisfied. He smiled lightly, wishing him a good rest-of-the night, before Owen left the house. Once he got back inside, he was questioned by Arthur, of course. He explained the story they had agreed on- that Alfred stopped by to give Arthur his phone number, but Owen answered the door. He handed Arthur the small slip of paper he had gotten from Alfred, which was hugged to the Brit's chest with a lovesick sigh. Owen smiled as he watched his brother scramble for his phone, texting Alfred a sweet message and squealing whenever he replied. (Even if it was just a word or two. He could send him a poop emoji and Arthur'd melt.)_

_Owen sighed, watching was an expression of sadness, pride and hope all at once. He'll find out- soon, too._


	10. Plans.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred makes an offer to Arthur, which goes well- at first.

_Now that Arthur had Alfred's number, the two barely did anything but talk to each other. Arthur had no problems going to sleep early that night, talking on the phone with Alfred until Owen went to bed- which was when they went to texting. He even sent him a few pictures of himself- curled up in the blankets on his bed or sitting in the living room with his morning tea the next day. He felt more confident in himself with every little compliment from Alfred- everything seemed right with the world. That is, until it became more than right._

_Arthur was sitting on the porch steps in front of his house, reading one of his favorite novels over again as he just relaxed. His phone was on the stair next to him where he sat, knowing he would be hearing from Alfred pretty soon. (Alfred was currently making lunch for the couple he was staying with, so his replies were a bit slow. Arthur wanted desperately to burst into the house across the street and wrap his arms around his American heart-throb, but he kept himself patient, waiting to do anything until Alfred was done.) Almost like clockwork, Arthur's phone made a little 'bloop' sound, the hand that wasn't holding the book open in his lap flung itself at the phone, quickly unlocking it as Arthur read over the text excitedly._

_**'Hey, can I head over for a bit?'** _

_Arthur hesitated to answer. Although his brothers were gone for school and work right now, Alfred never just asked to come over like that. He either stopped by or met Arthur at his doorstep. God, it had only been a few days and the two of them already have a routine._

_**'Of course. Is anything wrong?'** _

_Maybe Alfred was upset? Did he need to talk about something? Was he hurt? Calm down, Arthur. You're just getting ahead of yourself. He just wants to hang out for a while and just didn't elaborate on his reasoning. That was okay._

**_'What? Can't a guy just want to see his boyfriend?'_ **

_Oh. My god._

_Arthur almost vocally squealed, covering his mouth as his heart nearly pounded itself out of his chest. He dropped his book, but he didn't exactly care, either. Boyfriend. Alfred called him his boyfriend. Alfred was his boyfriend. This was kind of an odd way to ask him out, but Arthur didn't care how he did it. Alfred was his boyfriend. Arthur was Alfred's boyfriend. That was one of the most amazing feelings in the world, and Arthur never wanted to lose it. Be cool, Arthur. Give a normal, I-didn't-almost-just-shit-myself response._

**_'Of course, I'm outside.'_ **

_Good. That works._

_He sat up straighter as he watched Alfred leave the house, rushing over to Arthur as quickly as he could. Arthur grinned, standing and hugging onto Alfred tightly once he got to the first step. Without hesitation, he pressed a deep kiss to Alfred's lips, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing a bit closer to his chest- this made it easier for Alfred to wrap his arms around Arthur's waist and basically hold him. It was such a comforting feeling._

_Alfred sat on the step, allowing Arthur to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around the Brit, sighing contently as he watched the soft blue sky above them- staring at the slowly moving clouds. Arthur tilted his head a little, noticing the change in mood from Alfred. He asked again after waiting a few seconds._

**_"..Is there something wrong?"_ **

**_"..I'm leaving."_ **

_Arthur froze, his eyes wide as his heart sunk, dread replacing it in his chest. That's right, Alfred was just here for a week or so.. Arthur could nearly feel his heart shattering in his chest. He gripped onto Alfred's hand, tears threatening to fill his eyes. They just met, they were this close already- there was no way Alfred could just leave him like this. Didn't they have something special? Wasn't there anything he could do to stay longer? When was he leaving? Today? Tomorrow?_

_**"I'm..going back tomorrow."** _

_Fuck._

_**"But..this isn't the end."** _

_Alfred smiled softly, turning and giving Arthur a hopeful expression. He noticed the confusion in his face- which was understandable. He continued, hoping to explain things the best he could._

_**"..I want you to come with me."** _

_It took Arthur a few moments to understand what exactly Alfred was trying to say. He wanted him to come with him.. back home. To America. Alfred wanted Arthur to come back home with him to America. Alfred wanted Arthur to live with him in America. Alfred loved Arthur. Alfred was Arthur's boyfriend and he wanted to live with him in America. "Now, I know leaving your family is going to be difficult.. I know leaving London is going to be hard, too..But..I really want you to come with me. My flight back to San Diego is at 2 tomorrow, and I really, really want you to go with me. I don't want to leave you. I know theres something special between us, and there's no way I can just let you slip away that easily.."_

_Alfred kissed Arthur's hand, and before Arthur could even think more about the proposal, he nodded enthusiastically, crying out 'yes's and 'of course's as he hugged onto Alfred tightly. It was almost like he was agreeing to a marriage proposal. Everything was wonderful. He was going to be living with Alfred. He was going to be going to America with Alfred. He was going to be leaving the country with his boyfriend. That was incredible._

_Arthur crawled into Alfred's lap, kissing him passionately as he lost a hand in Alfred's hair. Alfred's kisses were so addicting to him- he never wanted to pull away once they were affectionate like this. The air seemed to get warmer as Alfred returned the kiss, setting his hands on Arthur's waist._

**_'I'm so happy..'_ **

_Alfred whispered against Arthur's lips, making him smile into the kiss as he let out a breathless laugh. He ran his fingers through Alfred's hair, locking their lips again in a passionate kiss._

_With all the excitement within the past 5 minutes, Arthur barely realize how fast the day had gone by. Texting and talking to Alfred for hours since his family had left the house, he barely understood what hour it was. He definitely wasn't thinking straight, and the lack of sleep from spending hours during the night talking to Alfred didn't help. *_

_Since he was basically making out with Alfred, he didn't exactly hear the car pull into the driveway. If he did, he probably just brushed it off as any other car going down the road, probably pulling into a different house down the street. Since Arthur's attention was on Alfred's messages all day, he never checked what Owen had sent him a few hours ago. He never read the text that told him his younger brother was going to stay at a friends house until the two elder brothers got home, so he wouldn't get there until a bit later than usual.._

_Although Arthur heard the car door open, he didn't know it was Owen- rushing out to warn the couple- hurrying to tell them to hide. Arthur was oblivious, only paying attention to how wonderful and warm it felt to be kissing Alfred like this. He didn't know anyone was home, until he heard a familiar, angry Scottish voice from the driveway, making the two quickly pull apart._

**_"What the hell is happening!?"_ **


	11. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes to hell. Contains violence and the F slur, but its censored.

_Arthur's heart nearly stopped as he heard Allistor shouting at them, trying to pull away from Alfred. Alfred jerked up too, pushing Arthur onto the pavement under the steps. He couldn't focus on the pain he felt, though. He felt tears in his eyes already, his stomach churning as Allistor rushed over. This couldn't be happening. Not only was Allistor going to find out he was gay and probably disown him, but he saw his boyfriend. He was kissing Alfred, whilst sitting in his lap. That was probably one of the worst things he could be caught doing. If Arthur was doing to get yelled at or hurt, it was going to be in front of Alfred- which only made it worse. He stood, quickly gripping onto Alfred's shoulder. Was it really 5 o'clock already? His hands were shaking and he felt dizzy very quickly, Allistor shoving Arthur away from Alfred. He started shouting things at the both of them- demanding Alfred tell him who he was and what he was doing with his little brother. The F slur had already slipped out of his mouth easily, and Alfred winced at the word. He tried to speak, but was cut off by more angered shouts._

_This wasn't happening. This wasn't how this was supposed to play out. Arthur had a plan. At first, his idea was to tell his older brothers he was gay a few days after he moved out. At least then, he wouldn't need to deal with their negative reactions for the rest of the night. Now that he was leaving with Alfred, his idea was to just tell them he was going to America to help Alfred with his photography and just to tell them he was gay a year or so later. This was not how this was supposed to go. This was wrong and it made Arthur feel sick. It made him feel like the entire world was falling apart, and he hated everything about it. He wanted to run. He wanted to grab Alfred's hand and run away with him, not looking back regardless of what his brothers were shouting._

**_"Why are you touching my brother!?"_ **

**_"Really- I-It's not what it looks like-"_ **

**_"Why the fuck were your hands on him!?"_ **

_As Owen tried to pull Arthur away from Allistor, he caught a glimpse of Alfred's expression. He looked scared and nervous, an apologetic look on his face as he tried to desperately explain how it 'wasn't what it looked like'. Allistor tugged Alfred up, and before Arthur could stop him, he struck him roughly on the right side of his face. Arthur shrieked, rushing to Alfred's side as quickly as he can, before he was smacked by his older brother. He'd been hit by him before, but it was normally just on the back of the head or on his arm. This stung like hell, but that didn't stop him from pulling Alfred away from Allistor. Tears were running down his cheeks as he heard Owen cry out once Allistor hit them, but Arthur did his best to push Owen away, not wanting to run the risk of Allistor hitting him, too. He was angry, and he probably wouldn't be thinking straight if he did it. Owen was crying now, a few people coming out of their houses to watch the scene. Arthur wondered if any of them were going to call the cops. Part of him kind of wished they would. This was getting out of hand. Seamas rushed out of the car, grabbing Allistor's arm and roughly pulling him away from Alfred. Arthur was crying, too, almost screaming apologies as he started shaking violently. The last thing he saw before Alfred pulled him inside the house across the street was Allistor trying to fight Seamas off of him, shouting angrily at Arthur and Alfred. He was really pissed._

_Now that Arthur actually thought about it, Seamas wasn't shouting.. He was trying to get Allistor away, desperately apologizing to Alfred and Arthur, telling them to get out of the yard as fast as they could. Was he not against this..? Did he not see what Allistor did? Maybe, after all of this calmed down, he could try talking to him about it. He knew Owen was okay with him, but maybe Allistor was just so aggressive with his opinion that Seamas never wanted to try to argue with him._

_If that's the case and Seamas would actually be supportive,it would have helped so much more for him to speak his mind. Arthur would feel a lot safer to be himself at home than he did._

_Alfred quickly took Alfred inside, the couple he was staying at being so kind as to get him tea as his boyfriend sat him on the couch, trying desperately to calm him down. (The husband made it a point to lock the doors of the house and close the windows.) Once Arthur's shaking stopped and his breathing calmed, he had his arms around him and was pulling him back in his lap. He ran his hands through Arthur's hair, letting him sob into his shoulder. Arthur wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Alfred crying as well. They still had each other. That was enough. His family was falling apart, and Arthur had no idea what was happening anymore outside. He still heard shouting, and he wondered how long it would take for the police to show up, if at all._

_They decided it would be best if Arthur stayed there for the night, and he agreed without having to think. There was no way he was going back home now. The idea that this was going to be his first night with Alfred hadn't really sunk in yet._

_Whether or not Arthur was ready to leave for America with Alfred in the morning, he didn't exactly have a choice anymore._


	12. Calm.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yooo the two spend their first night together as they let Arthur's brothers chill. Contains soft smut, but nothing too bad.

_The idea that this was going to be Arthur's first night with Alfred was finally starting to sink in now. Alfred offered him a pair of his sleep clothes, hoping they wouldn't be too big on him. Arthur was a bit shorter than him, and he didn't have as much muscle as Alfred did, but the shirt seemed to fit him fine. (The pants, though, did not. Arthur just decided to wear the same pants to sleep and worry about his clothes in the morning.) Alfred seemed to have no shame in undressing in front of his boyfriend, and Arthur supposed he didn't really have any reason to. Watching him strip off his shirt in front of him made Arthur shudder, his skin growing slightly warmer. Once he caught Alfred's gaze, he gave him a soft smile. Arthur didn't care what had within the past few hours. He was in love. It felt amazing. Being with Alfred like this made him feel safe._

_Alfred lead Arthur into the guest room where they were staying. The couple there offered them dinner, but Arthur wasn't particularly hungry, and Alfred just alright doing whatever Arthur was. (He was most likely going to sneak into the kitchen sometime in the middle of the night, but that wasn't something he needed to mention to Arthur.) He spread out a few more blankets for Arthur, laying down once he took off his glasses, setting them on the bedside table. Alfred tried to talk to Arthur, but Arthur wasn't in the most talkative mood. Was it because of what happened? Maybe he'll ask._

_It was almost 10 at this point, but Arthur wasn't sleepy. Not at all. He was sure he was most likely going to cry again sometime during the night, but for now, he was with Alfred. He laid down next to him, not entirely sure how this whole thing worked. He's never slept in the same bed as someone, especially not a boyfriend. Now that he thinks about it, he's never had a serious boyfriend before. Alfred was special in more ways than one, for sure._

_The two were facing each other once they both god adjusted to the sleeping positions, and Arthur wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. He heard about things you do with your partner during the night, but he's never really done anything like this before. (Duh.) Sure, he's thought about it. More than he'd like to admit, actually. But..how do you do something like this? How do you start it? How does this happen, exactly? Did Alfred even want something like that?_

_Before he could ask or do anything to get ahead of himself, Alfred captured his lips in a rough-ish kiss. It started off gently, but got drastically less innocent quickly. Arthur's hands found themselves on Alfred's chest, one slipping under his shirt and feeling the curves and dips of his muscles, the other sliding into his hair and tugging gently. Alfred made a soft, pleasured sound against Arthur's lips and the pulling, the noise sending shivers down his spine. He wanted to get Alfred to make more of those sounds, but maybe tonight wasn't the night to do that._

_It became apparent that, tonight, Alfred wanted to just take care of Arthur._

_Slowly, one of the American's hands slid down the Brit's shirt, rubbing at his torso. It lingered there for longer than Arthur liked, but he didn't want to seem impatient. This was a big step, and Alfred was no doubt nervous that he would push his luck on what Arthur was going to be okay with. His fingertips slowly dragged themselves down Arthur's thigh, the Brit giving a gentle nod, allowing him permission to continue._

_Alfred began to loosely rub Alfred through his pants, pulling out soft, sweet sounds from him. Arthur's never been touched like this before, by anyone, and it felt electric. He gripped at Alfred's shirt, letting out a shaky moan against his neck. Alfred gave a low growl at the sound, only making Arthur give him more pleasure sighs and groans. Something about this entire interaction made Arthur more and more comfortable with Alfred. Something about the intimacy of the situation made him want to give Alfred his trust, to let him know that he wanted to be with him and that if Alfred were to tell him everything was going to be okay, Arthur would believe him._

_The feeling ended all too quickly, though- Arthur muffling a choked cry against Alfred's shoulder as he finished, the rubbing slowing before Alfred's hand pulled away. There was no sounds except Arthur's heavy breathing as he slowly calmed himself down from the high. After he was able to think straight again, he pressed closer to Alfred, running his hands up his chest as he silently asked if Alfred wanted him to return the favor. Alfred shook his head, though- just nuzzling into Arthur's shoulder as he held him closer. This was just as good, anyway. Arthur wasn't sure what the entire interaction was for, but it paid off. It made him a bit more relaxed from the events of the afternoon, and it made him only want to get closer to his partner. His suspicions of the actions were confirmed as he heard Alfred whisper a soft ' **thats better** ' to him once Arthur caught his breath. _

_It was silent in the guest room for maybe 5 minutes after the entire thing had happened, but it ended rather quickly as Alfred just began to laugh. Arthur was a bit confused at first, but he soon understood that he wasn't laughing because he thought something was amusing or funny, but because he was just so happy. Arthur was happy too, and slowly joined in on the soft laughter. Alfred nudged Arthur a little, cuddling up to him impossibly tighter. They didn't care what was going to happen- they were together. As long as they had each other, thats all they needed. They laughed and cuddled until their eyes grew heavy, the problems of the day slowly drifting away along with them. They would deal with getting Arthur's things from the house in the morning before they leave, and confronting his brother might be a bit of a challenge. They didn't need to worry about that now, though._

_Before Arthur fell asleep, he heard a quiet, sleepy phrase that made the entire world stop. It made all his fears melt away, and he didn't care about anything else in the world but those few words._

**_"I love you, Artie.."_ **


	13. Confrontation - Finale.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woooo this is the end okay bye  
> This took a lot longer than I thought, but it was fun to write..!

_Arthur woke up late in the morning- which really wasn't normal for him. Maybe sleeping with Alfred was all that comfortable, his body just wanted him to lay there forever- Arthur wouldn't complain, either. Last night was the first time he had done anything even mildly sexual with another person- maybe that kind of thing knocked you out? Either way, Arthur opened his eyes at 10 a.m to find himself still buried in Alfred's arms._

_At first, he didn't want to move. He didn't want to wake up Alfred, but he knew it was most likely time to get up. The flight was at 2, right? Sure, they had a lot of time. But Arthur still needed to get his things from his house, which meant going inside where his brothers were. It was Saturday, which meant everyone would be home. That worried him. He was afraid of what Allistor did with Owen. Owen tried to help him, which obviously showed his support for Arthur- What did he do once Arthur left?_

_Before Arthur could try to move just enough to get out of Alfred's arms but not enough to wake him up, he was surprised to hear a low, sleepy voice from next to him. God, it made him shiver- Alfred's voice was so sexy like that._

**_'Mornin', doll.'_ **

_Arthur smiled shyly, sitting up now that he knew Alfred was already awake. Alfred sat with him, pulling Arthur close and letting the Brit rest his head on his shoulder. Arthur knew they should probably be getting up to get ready, but nothing else mattered for those few seconds he was in Alfred's arms. Flights didn't matter, homophobic brothers didn't, nothing in the world was more important than the way Alfred's arms felt around Arthur._

_He seemed to be doing that to Arthur a lot._

_Eventually, they did get up. Arthur was still wearing Alfred's clothes, but he didn't mind. They decided he would get changed into his own clothes before they left- once he got his clothes from his room, that is. The couple they were staying with made them breakfast, how sweet of them. They made Arthur his first cup of coffee- which he couldn't handle without a lot of sugar. That made Alfred laugh, at least. They seemed like a domestic couple. It was nice._

_Around 11, they decided it was time for Arthur to confront his family. Alfred offered to go help him, but he wasn't sure how that was going to go. Allistor nearly killed Alfred the first time he saw him. They agreed on a plan; Arthur would go inside, walk straight upstairs and start packing his things. If there was shouting, Alfred would jump in and either help Arthur get his stuff quicker, or rush Arthur outside. If Alfred was in there and things didn't get better for 5 minutes, the couple would call the police. Arthur just hoped it wouldn't get to that. After all of that, they'd drive by and stop at Willows so he could tell her and Simon about what was happening, but promised he'd visit and call them almost every day. Alfred liked that idea, too. (If he was being honest, he didn't think Arthur had friends- not because he didn't think Arthur could get friends, but he just never talked about them.)_

_With a heavy heart, Arthur made his way across the street. He hoped they hadn't locked the door to keep him out. That would suck. Luckily, the door was unlocked, and Arthur was able to hesitantly make his way inside. He looked around, seeing the TV must be on in the living room, judging on the light it projected on the floor and walls of the dull house. Great, they were up. Sometimes, Allistor would sleep all damn day if he had the day off, and maybe wake up around 1 to help clean the house or make lunch or something. This, apparently, was not the case, today._

_Arthur slowly made his way down the hallway, and managed to race up the stairs without being stopped. He knew they probably heard him, and would follow him any moment. He didn't care. He could lock his door while he packed, anyway- which he did once he was in his room. He had a suitcase, but only for family vacations- which didn't happen after his parents died. They planned on going to France or somewhere pretty, but that just couldn't happen. The brothers never complained about it, though- if their parents really were watching over them, they didn't want to make them feel guilty. Arthur pulled out his suitcase and laid it across the bed, beginning to look through his clothes._

_After Arthur got dressed into his own clothes, he packed 5 T-shirts, mostly Green Day or Beatles, 6 dress shirts and 4 hoodies. That wasn't too much, right? He packed 3 pairs of shorts, the one pair of sweatpants he had, 2 pairs of jeans and 4 pairs of dress pants. He packed a few pairs of socks and underwear, and that was it for clothes. Arthur them moved on to other things he didn't want to leave behind- his favorite novel (his parents gave that to him the week of their death. He couldn't let it go.) a couple photos (Him and his brothers, him with his parents, one of Owen, and two of him with Simon and Willow- one of them at the park with fancy tea drinks, and one the day of Simon's top surgery. That was important, too.) He packed a few other small things he thought were too important to leave, ( his sketchbook, a few small toys from his grandparents, ect.) then he was done. For his room, at least. He wanted to get his toothbrush and toothpaste as well. Luckily, the bathroom was down the hall of his bedroom. He unlocked the door, making his way quietly down the hallway until he made it to the bathroom, acquiring what he needed._

_He was stopped by a tap of his shoulder._

_Arthur flinched, turning quickly with wide eyes, before he relaxed once he saw it was just Owen. Owen knew what he was doing. Alfred had already come to him with his idea. Arthur was leaving. There were tears in his eyes, but he was smiling. He hugged onto his older brother, crying into his shoulder. Arthur found himself crying as well, gripping Owen closer, tighter. It stayed like that for maybe 5 minutes- the two clinging to each other and crying quietly. That was alright, though._

**_"Call me every day."_ **

**_"Of course."_ **

**_"Send me pictures of everything. Out the windows of the plane, where you land, where you're staying, everything."_ **

**_"I will."_ **

**_"..Wait up for me. I've got one more year."_ **

_Arthur paused, before grinning. Once Owen was done with school, it would be possible for him to come along with Alfred and him. Maybe, when the time comes. "I love you. I love you more than anything, but I need to go. You and I both know I'm not safe here, and I found someone who'll take care of me. I know you will to, but for now, finish school and survive, then, I'll take over."_

_Owen pulled away, nodding and wiping his eyes as he smiled. He repeated the first line over and over to Arthur, telling him how much he loved him. Arthur breathed out, taking Owen's hand as he began to head downstairs. Hopefully, there would be no confrontation._

_He was wrong._

_As soon as Arthur got to the bottom of the stairs, Allistor came out of the living room. Fuck. He looked pissed. Well, he always had that look. Owen called it 'resting bitch face', which always got a laugh out of Seamas. Today, though- he looked extra upset. Arthur wasn't surprised._

_**"And where do you think you're going?"** _

_Owen squeezed Arthur's hand, feeling Arthur take in a deep breath before he spoke. He tried to make himself sound as clear as possible, putting everything out there now._

**_"His name is Alfred, not the many slurs and curses you called him yesterday. He's visiting London from San Diego in America. He's a photographer for a website and magazine, and he's going back on a 2 p.m flight. Since I love him, and I'm not safe here, I'm going with him."_ **

_Allistor almost growled, narrowing his eyes as he folded his arms._

 "You don't love him, Art. You just want him to fuck you, all homo's mistake love for fucked up sexual attraction."

"That is not how people work, Allistor."

"Oh, it is. You're staying here, too. Put that damn bag back upstairs."

_Allistor lurched forward, but Owen stopped him. He pushed Allistor to the wall the best he could, even though the older was stronger than him, Arthur rushing out of the hallway. He quickly went into the living room, hugging Seamas. He didn't seem mad. Seamas whispered an 'I love you' to him, kissing his head before adding a 'Dont forget to call' and 'Run'. Arthur smiled, hugging him again before quickly racing out of the house. There were shouts from Allistor, but Owen managed to get away. He raced with Arthur across the street, laughing through their tears._

_Once they were there, Arthur nearly flung himself at Alfred. The American wrapped his arms around Arthur's middle, burying his face in his neck as he laughed along with them. Finally, Owen got to see them kiss. He giggled, nudging Arthur a little. Once they parted, Owen hugged onto Alfred, whispering with a smile on his face._

_**"Please take care of my brother."**_

**_"I will, I promise."_ **

_The couple offered to let Owen stay there for a few nights while Allistor calmed down, which he eagerly agreed to. Arthur hugged the husband and wife, thanking them for their kindness. After maybe 20 minutes of getting ready and Arthur saying goodbye to Owen, they left. They headed to Willow's place, where Arthur received more hugs and good-luck's. Alfred met Willow, who was excited to see his first actual boyfriend. He met Simon, who was just as enthusiastic. They shared a few memories with Arthur, before the newly formed couple was off. (Not without almost 50 more hugs and 7 promises to call Willow and Simon once they land. And to visit)_

_Things were going very quickly, but Arthur was ready for it. On the cab ride to the airport, he was gripping Alfred's hand tightly as he watched out the window. He wasn't quite ready to leave this city, but he was ready to leave..well, everything else. Alfred gave him reassuring whispered and kisses, before his phone blipped. (Thats how Owen describes the sound it makes for a text, at least. Blip blip.) Arthur pulled it out of his pocket, pausing as he read over the text nervously. It was from Allistor. Tears came to his eyes, and he grinned, hugging onto Alfred tightly. Things were going to be okay. He was going to be fine. Life was going to be alright._

**_"Good luck. I love you."_ **


End file.
